Trattoria Ai Fiori

Stanislao Puzzer, a chef of Slovenian origin, demonstrates the perfect symbiosis of tradition and relevance in his cuisine: creative, intrinsically tied to the geography of the area and to the Adriatic, refined, light and soberly dressed with the touch of a contemporary hand. In the place of pretense and imaginative boasting, we find here a sensible knowledge at work that effectively reproduces recognizable flavors. One eats well, elegantly, and always in harmony with the style of the chef which is studied but also infused with personal nuances.

In keeping with the statements above, we were first confronted with a famous recipe of the Veneto region and beyond, the cod mantecato: orthodox and well executed, flavorful and creamy, meriting a second plate. As it was, I had attended the AlpeAdriaCooking congress in Udine and happened to be dining that night with Víctor Arguinzoniz (restaurant Etxebarri, 8/10 in this guide) and Martín Berasategui (9.25/10), both masters of ingredients themselves, and when it was served to us as an hors d’oeuvre it received a lofty comment and confirmation on behalf of them both. Next, the mille-feuille of sea bass tartar with Nobu sauce had three immensely noteworthy points: the quality of the fish was exceptional, it was cut into beautiful pieces that preserved its delicacy and consistency, and the dressing was simple but very effective, exalting the dish without altering the nature of the sea bass. A third greatly satisfying moment that confirmed the professionalism of the chef was the crab soup, which boasted an exuberant quantity of the shellfish, just barely boiled, over a rich celery root puree. The sea in all its splendor. The scallops with a brochette of bay scallops over cream of leek is a simple construction glorified by an accurate preparation. The same can be said for the octopus with polenta, a most succulent and tender cephalopod. It must be noted, however, that the small lasagne of salted cod with capers and olives was gastronomically less interesting due to it turning into a jumble of flavors, ending with the taste of the combination prevailing over the pure, natural flavors of the components. Additionally, the fish suffers from an all-too-conventional preparation. The triple grooved shrimps with tomatoes and caponata are well resolved and fall in line with the purest of Italian sentiments. The fish – turbot, sea bass, etc. – is always select, almost always juicy, generally served without the skin (something which diminishes its character) in easy, typical formulas: potato crust, seasonal vegetables and pepper sauce; or sweet and sour onion confit with asparagus gratin.

Another merit of the restaurant, aside from Vlada Fovento’s friendliness in the dining-room, is the phenomenal quality-price ratio offered here.